Restraint

 (The Philippine Star) Updated November 26, 2010

Stock markets fell worldwide and global economic growth forecasts revised downward after North Korea launched an artillery attack, killing two Marines and two civilians, on a South Korean island last Tuesday.

Yeonpyeong Island has only 933 households and 1,756 villagers, but it’s South Korean soil. It was also the first such direct attack on the Korean peninsula since the 1953 armistice, and the first targeting civilians. The two Koreas exchanged fire for about an hour, with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak threatening “enormous retaliation” to prevent Pyongyang from launching another provocative attack.

The artillery barrage came on the heels of unconfirmed reports that the North had acquired uranium enrichment capability to build a more powerful nuclear weapon, and several months after 46 South Korean sailors were killed in a torpedo attack on their warship that Seoul blamed on Pyongyang.

It was the North’s most provocative act in half a century. The challenge to Seoul is how to prevent more attacks on its own soil, particularly on its civilian population, without letting its response lead to an escalation of the conflict into a full-blown war. The international community has responded with condemnation of the North Korean attack and calls for restraint on the part of the South. Global condemnation has rarely worked on ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who is reportedly preparing to turn over the reins of power to one of his sons. But both sides will benefit from heeding the global responses.

Pyongyang said it launched the artillery barrage in response to Seoul’s “reckless military provocation” through military drills near North Korea. Seoul, meanwhile, has announced that its joint military exercises with US forces would push through as scheduled next week. The reaction of North Korea’s eccentric, reclusive leader to the joint exercises is anybody’s guess.

China, the most important ally of the North, responded with caution to the attack, saying it wanted to clarify the facts first. China must not hesitate to do its part in restoring calm on the peninsula. In a globalized environment, another economic slowdown as a result of renewed conflict between the two Koreas can only mean bad news for everyone including the Chinese. The Korean conflict isn’t going to be settled any time soon, but escalation of the conflict can be avoided. It is in everyone’s interest to see the tension on the Korean peninsula eased as quickly as possible.